New Urban West would build a 60-home subdivision north of Felicita Park in south Escondido

Developer New Urban West has proposed an upscale 60-home subdivision on 43 acres of southern Escondido farmland just north of Felicita Park and west of Interstate 15.

Neighborhood opposition killed a similar subdivision proposed 13 years ago in the same area. But city and New Urban West officials said the new plan does a better job of preserving the area’s rural charm.

“There would be a significant amount of open space and trees,” said Tom Zanic, senior vice president of New Urban West. “The character of the project would be tailored to the area.”

The proposal would create a small public park around the area’s popular duck pond, add hiking trails and avoid realigning Felicita Avenue, Hamilton Lane and other nearby roads.

“The concept looks pretty attractive,” said Barbara Redlitz, the city’s planning chief. “It really has the potential for some great amenities for the public.”

It’s not looking attractive for at least one nearby resident, however. Yolanda Fleet was among several dozen people who helped defeat a similar subdivision in 2000, and she said she also plans to fight this one.

“So many people moved here for a quiet and rural atmosphere, but we’re trying too hard to turn Escondido into a city,” she said. “The people just want to be left alone.”

Fleet also said the planned public park wouldn’t allow the developer to avoid forcing out the area’s animals and lush foliage.

“Where is the wildlife going to go?” she said. “Isolated areas have much less value than a large connected area.”

Zanic said other residents have expressed more support during recent meetings New Urban West has held with nearly 40 families in the area.

He also said many of the design concepts are based on feedback that Standard Pacific Homes and the city received 13 years ago.

An example would be complaints that Standard Pacific wanted to realign Felicita, eliminating its curves.

“We tried to figure out what they hated, and we eliminated those things,” he said.

Former City Councilman Dick Daniels, who lives less than a mile away, said he was upbeat about the new proposal.

“This is a semirural setting, but it’s residential,” he said. “These homes would fit well with the homes already here. And this would maintain the area’s rustic and rural character, which isn’t always defined by undeveloped land.”

The subdivision, called Oak Creek in the New Urban West proposal, would also help the city achieve its goal of annexing the many pockets of county land within the city’s borders.

The developer wants the project annexed into the city so residents would have sewer connections instead of septic systems. In addition, they would be served by Escondido police instead of the Sheriff’s Department.

The subdivision would also increase Escondido’s median income, which is the lowest of any city in North County, and boost city property taxes. Zanic estimated the homes in Oak Creek would sell for somewhere between $700,000 and $800,000 each.